


Figuring It Out

by reeby10



Category: Avengers: Age of Ultron - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Developing Relationship, Diners, Domestic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, First Meetings, Movie Night, Multi, Nightmares, Pre-Canon, Relationship Discussions, Shopping, Sleepy Cuddles, implied/referenced PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-06-03 05:58:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6599482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reeby10/pseuds/reeby10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This wasn’t something Laura had imagined when Clint first told her he was bringing someone home who would need their support in building a new life. She had imagined perhaps becoming friends at best, but this, this felt different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Figuring It Out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flipflop_diva](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flipflop_diva/gifts).



> Gift for flipflop_diva for Ship Swap 2016! I was intending to have Nat as the POV character since she's your fave, but the plot I ended up with necessitated Laura... Nat becoming comfortable with Laura and Clint is still really the main theme, though, so I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Thanks to Biff for the beta and plotting help :)

Laura paced the floor of the kitchen, eyes darting to the clock on the wall far too often. She knew it was still well within the time Clint had said he’d be arriving, but she couldn’t help but be anxious. She worried about him whenever he had to go off to work of course, but this was different.

Just as she was starting to think about making her third cup of coffee in as many hours, she heard the crunch of gravel under wheels. It had to be them; it took a pretty high clearance level to even knew the farm existed. She made a run for the front door, desperate to be there in time to greet them.

Clint came stomping up the stairs, looking exhausted, but there was a smile on his face and Laura felt herself relax a little. Behind him was a woman with bright red hair, looking much more uncomfortable as her gaze darted around like she was still looking for danger. Laura felt her heart clench a little. She didn’t know the details of how Clint came to bring a Russian defector to their home, but she hoped that eventually the woman could feel safe again.

“Laura!” Clint exclaimed, sweeping her up as soon as she opened the door. They spun around, laughing in relief. It had been a long month having him away.

“And who’s this?” Laura asked once they’d both calmed down a little, gesturing at the woman still standing awkwardly at the top of the steps like she wasn’t sure if she should come closer or go back down.

“Laura, this is Natasha. Nat, this is my wife, Laura,” Clint said. He smiled encouragingly at Natasha until she gave a small smile in return, looking even more awkward.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Natasha, I hope you like it here,” Laura said, giving her best reassuring look. She wasn’t sure it was very effective. “Would you mind if I gave you a hug?”

From the look on Natasha’s face, she would mind very much, so Laura just nodded, giving her another reassuring smile. “Alright,” she said instead. “Would you like to come in? I can make coffee.”

Clint groaned, heading immediately to the kitchen and muttering something about the nectar of the gods. Laura followed with a laugh, holding the screen door open until Natasha reluctantly followed as well, albeit much more quietly.

The two of them were on leave for six weeks while SHIELD worked through the issues with Natasha’s defection to them. Or at least that was what Laura assumed. She didn’t care that much about the details, just that she would have the next six weeks with her husband and his new friend. That, Laura hoped, was plenty of time to get Natasha more comfortable with her new life.

***

“You’ve never seen a movie in a movie theater?”

Natasha shook her head, eyes a little downcast. “It wasn’t exactly something we did where I… grew up,” she said. “They did show us Snow White though.”

“Well, that’s something,” Laura conceded with a small smile. She’d always liked Snow White.

“But still!” Clint exclaimed, looking between the two women. “Seeing a movie at a theater is a whole _experience_. It’s different!”

Laura wasn’t exactly sure she understood Clint’s excitement about movie theaters, she was always perfectly happy to watch movies just curled up on the couch, but she did think it would be good experience for for Natasha. Everyone should see a movie in theaters sometime, it was just a shame it had taken this long.

“How about we catch a matinee in town this afternoon?” Laura suggested. “And we can get dinner at Hal’s. I doubt you’ve been to a real diner either, and Hal’s is the best.”

“Oh yeah!” Clint said, his smile growing. Laura knew he could never say no to a good burger, especially one from his favorite restaurant. “Burgers and the greasiest fries known to man. What do you say, Nat?”

Looking more than a little bemused by Clint’s enthusiasm, Natasha nodded. “That doesn’t sound so bad,” she admitted, and Laura thought the smile she gave might be the most genuine she’d seen so far. It was a start.

The drive into town was quiet. Natasha seemed more interested in the landscape than speaking, though she hadn’t spoken much at all in the past two days. Clint assured Laura that it would just take a bit for Natasha to warm up to her, and Laura hoped that was true. She wanted Natasha to have something good here, with them.

They chose what they hoped would be something they could all enjoy, Ever After. Laura, seated on the other side of Clint from Natasha, tried to keep an eye on the other woman to gauge her response, but all too soon Laura was sucked into the movie. Laura even thought she heard Natasha laugh a few times, which seemed like a positive sign.

“What’d you think?” Clint asked as they emerged from the theater, blinking in the bright light of the setting sun.

“It was good,” Natasha replied after a long moment of consideration. To Laura, she seemed a little unsure of what to say, like she’d never been asked her opinion like that before.

Clint immediately began recounting the funniest parts of the movie, much to Natasha’s obvious amusement. Laura smiled, looking at them. Natasha was already looking much more relaxed; an afternoon of fun was apparently just what she’d needed. And they hadn’t even made it to dinner yet.

The diner was busy, but Clint and Laura were fairly well-known in town, so they got a table in the back corner pretty quickly. Natasha situated herself so she could see the entrances for both the diner and the kitchen, and Laura remembered how Clint had done the same when they first met. Hopefully Natasha would learn to be less paranoid about safety too, at least out here.

“The regular for me and Clint,” Laura said as one of the waitresses approached the table.

She looked over at Natasha, waiting for her to place her order, but Laura could tell the other woman was a little overwhelmed looking at the rather extensive menu. It was likely she hadn’t had a lot of chances to choose her own food, especially on her personal time like this.

“She’ll have the same,” Laura said, just before the waitress could ask. Natasha nodded, looking relieved, and Laura was glad she’d made the right decision to order for her.

They made comfortable conversation while they waited for their food, mostly more about the movie, but it quickly moved on to listing movies Clint thought Natasha should see. It didn’t take long before the redheaded woman was looking overwhelmed, but she continued to nod along and ask questions about the titles that seemed interesting or strange. Laura admired how hard Natasha was working at creating a normal life for herself, she knew it couldn’t be easy.

When the food arrived, Natasha dug into her burger with a delighted fervor that surprised both Laura and Clint. They were good burgers, no doubt about it, but she seemed to relish it to an almost ridiculous extent. She was finished with her’s before either of them were even halfway through and Laura kind of wanted to order her another one to go, just to see her reaction.

“How about dessert?” Clint asked when he saw Natasha eyeing the remaining half of his burger. “They do a great cherry pie here.”

Natasha smiled, totally unrestrained for one wonderful minute. “That sounds great.”

***

They spent the next few weeks introducing Natasha to all the things they could think of that she’d missed growing up in Russia. Almost every day they tried something new, from food to stores to movies to games.

The first weekend they hit up the local farmers’ market. Laura usually only went once a month to get what they couldn’t grow in their home garden, but she decided to make a special trip. Natasha had seen Laura’s garden and been fascinated, so Laura thought it was only fair she get a slightly wider view of rural agriculture via the stands there. Plus, with three people in the house they were running a little low on veggies.

Much to Laura’s satisfaction, Natasha loved it. And Clint, who had never been with Laura before since he was usually on a mission when she went, did too. Apparently the stands of veggies and free range eggs and handmade jewelry were very similar to a toned down version of the bazaar the two of them had first met in several years before.

Laura spent the morning laughing as the two exchanged stories and memories that sounded both horrifying and hilarious, but she supposed that was the life they led. At least now they could find more of the hilarious than the horrifying with all they’d seen. That was all Laura could really ask for.

The second weekend, they took off to the nearest large town, a two hour drive away, and visited an amusement park. Neither Laura nor Clint had been to one in years, so they were almost as excited as Natasha was. Laura was actually surprised Natasha would so openly show her excitement, but the redheaded woman had been slowly but steadily opening up and showing her real personality under the Russian agent persona.

They rode every ride in the park at least once. The spinning tea cups were Natasha’s favorites, and Laura and Clint were more than happy to ride it with her a couple times. Well, more like a dozen, but Laura thought the smile on Natasha’s face was worth the repetition and sore arm muscles.

The third weekend, Laura got to stay home and watch crappy reality tv reruns while Clint took Natasha out alone. Laura wasn’t exactly sure what they did or where they went, but they came home smiling ear to ear. She figured that was worth the dirt they ended up tracking through the living room.

It was Laura’s turn to take Natasha out alone the next weekend, and since Natasha had enjoyed the farmers’ market so much, Laura thought she might like the local town’s main street as well. A slightly different kind of shopping, but Natasha had a very small SHIELD provided wardrobe and no other personal belongings, so really it would be a win-win.

“You’re allowed to get both, you know,” Laura said as Natasha stared intently at two shirts at the first boutique.

Natasha’s head jerked up, a frown on her face. “I won’t get a paycheck until after my probation ends,” she said, voice low. “I can’t pay you back until then and I don’t want to be a burden.”

Laura waved a hand, then reached out to toss both of the shirts in her handbasket. “No repayment necessary, really,” she said, hoping her smile came out as reassuring. “It’s a gift. Or if it makes you feel better, it’s basically SHIELD paying for it since that’s where Clint’s paycheck comes from anyway.”

Natasha let out a snort of laughter, but didn’t argue about it anymore. Laura still made sure to keep her eyes open for what Natasha seemed interested in after that just in case. She wanted Natasha to have whatever she wanted, and it wasn’t like she and Clint were hurting for money. Buying some clothes and jewelry wasn’t a big deal, even though Natasha obviously felt differently.

By the time they finished up their shopping excursion, which Natasha ended up enjoying even more than Laura had hoped, they had a trunk full of bags and boxes with everything from sweatshirts and jeans to gold earrings and fancy lingerie. Most of it was for Natasha, but Laura had to admit that she got a couple things for herself, including some of the fancy lingerie. She didn’t think Clint would mind the splurge.

“Honey, we’re home!” Laura called as they came in the front door, loaded down with bags.

Clint emerged from the kitchen wearing a “Kiss the Cook” apron, smile of greeting turning into a laugh when he saw all their purchases. “Did you buy the stores out?”

Laura smiled in return, walking over to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Just wait,” she said. “There’s more where this came from.”

“Guess I’d better help my two lovely ladies then, shouldn’t I?”

With Clint’s help, the three of them emptied the trunk in no time, separating the purchases out into piles in the living room. Looking at Natasha sitting in the middle of her new belongings, Laura couldn’t help a satisfied smile. They’d done good in town, now the only thing left was to show off what they’d bought.

“Time to try some stuff on!” Laura said as she began rifling through one of her bags. Which one would be the best first choice…

“But we tried them on at the stores,” Natasha said, looking quizzically between Laura and Clint. Clint just shrugged in reply, obviously just content to sit there and enjoy the ride, wherever it was going.

“Yes, but the best part of shopping is getting to show off what you got,” Laura replied, pulling out a deep blue dress. She wasn’t sure that she’d ever get a chance to wear it anywhere, but damn was it sexy. “Besides, Clint hasn’t seen what we bought yet and he’d love to. Wouldn’t you, honey?”

“Sure would,” Clint replied easily, just like Laura knew he would.

With a little more encouragement, Laura got Natasha to pick something out to try on. They retreated to their rooms to change, then met in the hallway before heading back down to the living room. Laura had to admit that Natasha looked absolutely stunning in a slinky red dress with black lace at the shoulders and a plunging neckline. Natasha seemed to think Laura looked pretty good too with the way she was eyeing her.

Laura looped her arm in Natasha’s, drawing a surprised laugh from the other woman, and led the way out to where Clint was waiting. The look on his face when he saw them was priceless, and Laura couldn’t help the smug smile that grew on her face.

“That’s, uh… you look very nice,” Clint managed to get out after a long moment of staring between them.

“I think you mean damn fine,” Laura replied, giving a little spin to show off. After a moment Natasha did the same, their dresses twirling around them before settling back to hug their curves.

“Yeah,” Clint said, his face very red, “that.”

***

A week and a half later, just a few hours before dawn, Laura woke to the sound of muffled screaming. She rolled over, assuming it was Clint having one of his thankfully infrequent nightmares, but he was still sound asleep. She frowned, confused and slow after being woken from a deep sleep, before she realized what the sound must be.

Quietly, Laura climbed out of bed and headed down the hallway to what used to be the guest room. Natasha hadn’t wanted to claim it as her own at first, but eventually Clint had convinced her that it was fine to have a room for herself.

“Natasha?” Laura whispered from outside the door.

There was no answer, but a few moments later she heard the same muffled scream. From this close it sounded pained, and it hurt Laura to hear it from someone she’d come to care so much about. She had to do whatever she could to help, though she knew with Natasha’s past it probably wouldn’t be easy.

The door creaked a little when she opened it, but the sound didn’t seem to disturb Natasha. The redheaded woman was curled in the bed, covers tossed back as she twitched, except for one arm which was thrown up over her head. Her face was pressed into the pillow, and Laura thought she could see her biting down on it as another scream emerged.

Despite Laura’s desire to help, she knew she was walking into a dangerous situation. Natasha was highly trained and could hurt her without even meaning to, especially in her current state. It had happened once with Clint, many years ago, and it had taken him a long time to forgive himself even though she had never blamed him. Laura would have to approach this delicately and hope that would be enough.

“Natasha,” she called again, creeping closer and stopping a few feet away from the bed. “Natasha, it’s ok, please wake up.”

Natasha just moaned, thrashing a bit before curling even tighter around the pillow, but Laura couldn’t give up. She continued calling softly, letting Natasha know she was safe. It was important that Laura say it, even if Natasha couldn’t hear or understand the words at the moment. Safety was probably something Natasha hadn’t had a lot of in her life thus far, and Laura would do everything she could to provide that.

Eventually Laura’s determination seemed to pay off. One moment Natasha was lying there, and the next she was sitting up, eyes wild and a knife in one hand. Laura hadn’t even seen her move.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok,” Laura said, hands out to show she was unarmed. “You were having a nightmare. I just wanted to make sure you’re ok.”

Natasha blinked, the wild look fading from her eyes, and she dropped the knife to the floor like it had scalded her. “I’m sorry,” she said, voice tight. “I didn’t… I wasn’t…”

“It’s fine, I know,” Laura replied soothingly, taking the chance to get a little closer.

To her surprise, Natasha clung to her as soon as she got close enough, apparently more shaken by the experience than Laura had expected. Gently, Laura guided them until they were both laying on the bed, blankets pulled up around Natasha’s shoulders. It didn’t take long for Natasha to fall asleep, obviously exhausted by her broken sleep.

Laura lay awake afterward, arms wrapped tightly around Natasha like she could ward off any further nightmares. She couldn’t help but stare at the other woman in the dim light of predawn, wondering what they were doing here.

This wasn’t something Laura had imagined when Clint first told her he was bringing someone home who would need their support in building a new life. She had imagined perhaps becoming friends at best, but this, this felt different. There was something more happening between the three of them, and it both excited and frightened her to even think of it.

A small noise outside the room broke her away from her thoughts and she looked over to see Clint standing in the doorway, a look of concern on his face. Gently, she extricated herself from Natasha surprisingly octopus-like grip, making sure she didn’t wake the other woman. Not wanting to break the silence yet, she gestured for Clint to follow her down to the kitchen.

They made a pot of coffee without a word and sat at the kitchen table, both unsure of what to say. Laura wasn’t sure what Clint was thinking, but her own thoughts were all over the place. It made her nervous about voicing them because what she had here already was amazing, and she didn’t want to damage that.

“She had a nightmare,” Laura finally said, setting down her half-finished cup of coffee. “I heard her and went to wake her up. She just… I think she’s not used to having someone care enough to do that.”

Clint nodded, a strange look on his face that Laura wished she could interpret. “I’m not angry,” he finally said. “I hope you don’t think that.”

“No,” Laura said, unsure whether she really meant that.

In truth, she wasn’t sure sure what she’d thought, either about Natasha or what Clint had thought. That was the problem, really. She was used to knowing what she wanted and what she thought and acting accordingly, but there was something about this thing with Natasha that just threw her for a loop. It was unsettling to say the least, and even more so because she didn’t want to accidentally ruin something by acting in the wrong way.

“You like her, don’t you?” Clint asked, looking intently at her but giving no hint of what he was thinking. She hated when he did that. “More than as just a friend or one of my coworkers.”

There was no way Laura could deny that, so she didn’t even try. She smiled a little, though it wasn’t really a happy smile. “Yeah, I think I do.”

“Oh, thank god,” Clint said, slumping onto the table. “I was afraid I was the only one.”

“You… what?” Laura asked, feeling suddenly lost.

“I like her too, Laura,” Clint said with a smile. He reached across the table to take her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “I didn’t want to say anything because I wasn’t sure how either of you felt about it. But I’m glad you feel the same.”

Laura felt the tension leave her body in a rush of relief. This was good, this was so much better than she’d feared. Hopefully things wouldn’t become too awkward now with them both back on the same page.

“So I guess we just need to find out how she feels, hmm?” Laura asked. She snorted a little, shaking her head. “I don’t imagine that will be an easy conversation.”

“Maybe easier than you’d think.”

Laura and Clint both jumped in surprise, turning to see Natasha standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She didn’t look angry, which was a relief, but Laura wasn’t sure how much she’d heard.

“What do you mean?” Clint asked, face closing off again. Laura squeezed his hand, letting him know that no matter what happened she was still there for him, for them.

“I heard your whole conversation,” Natasha replied. She walked forward, carefully seating herself at the table. Laura thought she was probably trying to be nonthreatening, but it really only made Laura sad that Natasha thought she had to act like that with the two of them.

“So what did you think about it?” Laura asked after a moment of slightly uncomfortable silence.

“I…” Natasha began, before cutting herself off with a shake of her head. “I don’t know,” she continued a little plaintively. “This isn’t… this isn’t something I was trained for. I don’t know how to feel.”

Carefully, Laura reached out her other hand to take Natasha’s. The other woman didn’t move away or protest, which Laura took as a good sign. She knew Natasha was trying, but there was still a lot of baggage she would have to work through. Though hopefully with a little work, it could be the three of them working through it.

“That’s ok,” Laura said. “I know this is hard. Heck, it’s hard for the two of us and we’re married, we have a lot more experience with feelings and romance and all that. But if you want, you don’t have to be alone in figuring it out.”

Natasha considered that for a while, the silence growing between them, but this time less uncomfortably. Finally, Natasha nodded her head, squeezing Laura’s hand. “I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Concrit welcome. If you like my fic, feel free to come hit me up [on tumblr](http://voldiebuns.tumblr.com/)!


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